Funny Find - Creamsicle Milk

I would totally try this if someone else bought it and offered me some or if it came in a smaller container.  I can't bring myself to buy a half gallon of creamsicle milk!

Would *you* try it?

On a related note, I have been known to mix a bit of orange juice with egg nog, so I *think* I might like this milk.

P is for Peanut Butter Cup

Those letters I skipped in the ABC series?  Well, I'm determined to get them all in.  You'll just see random letters on random days as I get a word chosen or a post written.  For now, enjoy this "blast from the past."

Introduced the kids to these.  Xav loves the old commercials.  And now he gets it when I shout, "You gotcher chocolate in my peanut butter!"





Watch them all.  Classic!

Summer Has Officially Begun

It always seems like the busiest week we have every year is the first week after public school gets out.  Summer is starting and there are summer things to do.  This year was no exception.  It rained a lot this week.  Probably at least a bit every. single. day.  sigh...

Public school didn't officially end until noon time on Tuesday this week, I'm guessing because of snow days.  Because of this, Xav did not have PE on Tuesday like usual.  Instead, he was invited to participate in field day with the whole school.  He was even given a mascot T-shirt in school colors, just like everyone else.

Monday night is also the night our first VBS of the summer began.  Yep, the first VBS is in the evening.  There are lessons for ages 2-adult.  So, while I was sorely tempted to nap in the car every night (because exhaustion), I stayed for Bible study.  Some other Friday School families were present, too, so it was nice to visit in our off time.  I also met a few other very sweet ladies.  The theme was Over the Moat: Drawbridge to the King and the study was about King David. 

Since school was in session for two days, gymnastics camp was only three mornings.  The charge this year was higher, the time and number of days shorter, but I still felt it was reasonable.  Honestly, the first time it was $10/kid/session (NOT *day*) and I thought that was crazy cheap, so I'm not complaining.  I do wish it had been all week though.  Xav and Merrick absolutely love it!  Mal chose not to participate this year again.  He didn't change his mind mid-way through, like he did last year.  When it didn't rain, Xav, Mal, and I walked and went to the playground while Merrick was in his lesson.  When it was Xav's turn, I took Merrick and Mal home because his session was longer than Merrick's.

Wednesday or Thursday afternoon (because we're kind of kooky), we went to a resort where we have a Daycation pass.  We spent a few hours getting familiar with the layout and at one of the pool areas.  Caught a shuttle bus, which Merrick and Mal thought was amazing.  We'll be going up again this week and probably head to one of the other pool areas, since they are all different.  We don't just have access to the pools.  There is hiking, a game zone, and a ton of events we can participate in, oh, and lagoons.  Because we want to be sure to get our money's worth out of this pass, I want to get up there fairly often.  I've told the punks we are switching to school in the morning.  It won't be easy for any of us, as we're all creatures of habit, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

So, that wasn't nearly enough to do and we didn't need any rest on Saturday.  So, our week finished out with a VBS closing carnival (and banana splits) on Saturday and the rain stayed away the entire time.  I picked up Greek food from the lady at the Farmer's Market for lunch.  Then we headed to a new (2nd year) Renn Faire.  We didn't stay long.  Then it was off to our favorite cider mill for our first visit of the year.  No, they weren't pressing, since it's summer, but they have samples and we bought cider and cider donuts.  Outside we were surprised by the most adorable little bunny litter.  I saw seven babies around the picnic tables and gazebo.  The most intriguing part was their appearance.  They didn't look like wild rabbits.  There were two albinos and five in various shades of tan or brown.  I have *never* seen wild rabbits like that.  I have myself convinced they were from an escaped pet.

This young lady worked a while to get close enough to pet this cutie.  She said it was the highlight of her whole day.

YWAM Hershey ~ A Homeschool Crew Review

When you make purchases from this non-profit company, you can know that you are helping with Youth With a Mission.  YWAM Publishing's sales help fund ministries in 140 countries.  Another thing you can be absolutely sure about, is that the uplifting biographies you purchase are always inspirational and appropriate for children.


We are reviewing Heroes of History- Milton Hershey from YWAM's Heroes of History line of biographies.



I love that YWAM's Christian biographies are safe for my children to read.  They have two divisions of biographies available.  Christian Heroes Then and Now and Heroes of History.  Their biographies are available in paperback, Kindle, Nook, ebook, and audio versions.  I love having these books available in paperback, but now that our very short summer is approaching, it seems like a great time to start thinking more about audiobooks for the car.

We received Milton Hershey: More Than Chocolate by Janet & Geoff Benge in the mail and an email to access the Milton Hershey digital unit study.  The book is a 192 page paperback with a recommended age range of ten and up.  It covers Milton's life beginning with his early life in Derry Church, PA.

I love mail with that "TOS" or "Homeschool Crew" label!

His mother, Fanny, and Aunt Mattie were incredibly supportive of him and gave generously of their time, encouragement, and Mattie's family's money.  Milton was eventually able to support them both and provide their every need.  His upbringing by these women was heavily rooted in the Mennonite tradition and Milton became a man who, despite his great wealth, always wanted to help his fellow man rather than squander his money on lavish mansions and yachts.  His mother and aunt reminded me of Timothy's mother and grandmother in the Bible, always encouraging, being godly examples for Milton. 

Poor Micah.  Every time I had him cornered somewhere (like in the car on the way to Mt. Washington!), I'd tell him all kinds of interesting facts we learned about the Hershey family.  For instance, Milton and Kitty Hershey were unable to have children of their own, so they started a home for orphaned boys.  What started out as a home for up to eight young boys, became the Hershey Industrial School, and is now a residential school for boys and girls in PK-12th grade, renamed Milton Hershey School.  Those children were very important to Milton his entire life, and the boys were proud to call themselves "Milton's boys."  

Xav's favorite part of the book, Milton Hershey: More Than Chocolate, was when Milton went to Cuba and decided to build a sugar cane operation (growing and processing) of his own.  He treated it just like he had in Derry Church, PA and built a small town around his operation and installed an electric railroad.  Xav was fascinated by the "buggy" (a volante) that Milton had to ride to the remote area he purchased.

Hobbes was an OK listener...

Mal, of course, enjoyed reading about all of the train rides Milton got to take throughout his life.  He liked thinking about the progress that was being made over the many years Milton lived.  He also was amazed to learn how many of his favorite chocolate bars were being made every day in that factory.

I was interested in the D Rations which were made by Hershey for the war.  In WWI, it was necessary that they not melt in tropical weather.  For WWII, the requirements were increased to include not freezing in cold weather and packaged in some way to not be damaged if submerged for up to an hour.  Unfortunately, the nutrition and other requirements made the bar pretty unpalatable, but that didn't stop the army from requesting THREE MILLION bars.  Milton had to refit his factory with different equipment for the government bars.  Milton was personally devastated by WWII, as he regularly received telegrams regarding the deaths of "his boys."

I could go on and on about Milton Hershey.  This biography of his life is just. that. amazing.  This is definitely *my* favorite of the YWAM Publishing books I have read.

There is an available study guide to accompany this (and many other YWAM biographies).  The main study guide PDF consisted of the following sections.

• Key Quotes - Here are quotes either by Hershey or that could be applied to him.  YWAM recommends memorizing some of them or making a banner to put in our display corner or in our study area.

• Display Corner - This is where our study comes to life.  We are still working through the study, though the book has been finished at least once by most of us.  I think we will need to gather some items for our display corner when we take a drive this summer.

• Chapter Questions

1. One factual question
2. Two comprehension questions
3. Two opinion-type questions.
4. One vocabulary question taken from the text.
   

• Student Explorations - Essay topics, hands on projects, and fun arts and crafts ideas are here,  A suggested game is Chutes and Ladders because Milton Hershey had a lot of failures in business, as well as his successes.  Just lots of neat ideas here.

• Community Links - I like the idea in this section of talking to real people around our own community that somehow can be linked to the study of Milton Hershey.  Some suggestions are a candy/chocolate maker, a chemist, a dairy farmer, and several more.

• Social Studies -These great tie ins to the book cover a lot of new vocabulary, which each of the boys write in a vocabulary notebook and look up the meanings.  There are suggestions for marking significant places from the book on a map of the US and measuring the distances.  There's a timeline to complete and many other topics to cover.

• Related Themes to Explore - Here you'll find related ideas to explore in history, math, science, literature, and business.

• Culminating Event - This is a section for ideas to hold a party that ties into Milton Hershey's life and where you could share what you've learned with friends, family, and neighbors.

• Appendix A is a related book and resource list, beginning with other biographies about Milton, books about his school, and the history of chocolate making.  It also includes articles, websites, and video links.  Several other YWAM Heroes of History biographies are tied in here also.
• Appendix B - Chapter questions answers for all 18 chapters.

The second half of the study guide is a separate PDF for the following section

• Appendix C which contains the reproducibles needed for the Social Studies activities in chapter 6. Here are the maps and timeline activities, as well as a biography page to fill in about Milton Hershey's life.

I love that all the printables were in one file.  I could print them all or just one or two.  I *really* like that I didn't have to open multiple files to print each page.

There is a link in Appendix A that Xavier is *very* interested in.  It tells all about candy making and the chemistry involved.  Despite the fact that we do not live in a town, he is convinced he will learn how to make candy and get rich by selling it from a stand in front of our house.

I recently read that Hershey is making changes to their chocolate.  EGAD!  As the mom of a boy who eats almost no candy except plain, Hershey's milk chocolate bars, I'm really hopeful this will not effect the taste, texture, or *appearance* of the Hershey milk chocolate bar!

The best part about this biography and study guide, is that it comes along as we plan to head to Pennsylvania and a possible trip to Hershey.  Now that we've learned so much about Milton Hershey, I'm not sure how he would feel about the whole "Hershey Park" thing.  He was such a generous and simple man (for a man with the money he had - read the book to find out what he did with 60 MILLION dollars).  He is a real inspiration and a Hero of History.

Last year, we learned about Alan Shepherd from YWAM Publishing.


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H is for Hidden Sin

I was making myself the most beautiful salad, loaded with veggies, an egg, craisins...  Yum!  As I sliced into this gorgeous bell pepper, {GAH!} rotten and nasty inside.  I had specifically chosen this particular pepper because it was the nicest one in the produce aisle.  Pleh.

Our sin is like that.  Darkness lurks in our hearts.  While we are often able to conceal sin from other people, even those who are quite close to us, we cannot shroud our wrongdoings from the One who created us.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve hid from God.  God called out to them, "Where are you?"  I'm pretty sure He knew where they were.  Nothing is not known to Him.  He knows every secret sin in our hearts.  There is no hiding from the Creator of all.

Thanks to A Net In Time and Hopkins Homeschool for hosting this Blogging Through the Alphabet run.


My other H post:
Helpful

G is for... Chocolate!

No.  That isn't a typo.  G *is* for chocolate, really Good Chocolate.  Namely Ghiradelli chocolate.  Aaaand Lindt.  And Ferrero Roche and Rondnoir.  And...  You get the gist. 

You may have noticed I like chocolate quite a bit.  I managed to run a series about hot cocoa one winter, for crying out loud.  I eat cocoa roasted almonds.  I drink chocolate mint tea.  I eat chocolate every. single. day.  I would say chocolate is *very* responsible for my slow weight loss.  No.  Not chocolate, but the *love* of chocolate.  (See what I did there?)

Chocolate means way too much to me.  As yesterday was Ash Wednesday, or the first day of Lent, I gave up chocolate.

Some of the chocolate in my house right now.

I only put one of each thing in there, but there are BAGS of tasty chocolate in this house.  You may have noticed there is no actual high quality chocolate in this pile.  That is because I ate it.  I literally ate every piece of Good chocolate in the house on Monday and Tuesday (except for the ice cream and almonds).  I also am out of chocolate mint tea.  Thinking about my binge session just makes me want to cry.  I don't even know what is the saddest part.

• I wanted the chocolate so much, I ate it before Lent started.
• I binged so I could have it *all*.
• I sabotaged my weight loss and health.
• I did not even take the time to enjoy it.

Lately, I've been thinking about persecuted Christians.  I wonder if I could be strong enough to be true to Christ if this thing or that thing happened.  My heart breaks for the people who have to make those decisions.  Then, here it was, the first day of Lent, and my brain actually for one minute said, "Screw it.  I'm not Catholic.  Forget this Lent stuff.  I'm going to eat that chocolate."  I was shocked at what was in my brain.  For a split second, I wasn't even feeling willing to GIVE UP CHOCOLATE for 40 days.

Then I thought about every single thing Christ did for me.  ME.  The girl who contemplates giving up on giving up chocolate on the first day of Lent.  And I thought.  Man, "that girl" really needs her some Jesus.

God help me.  Please.

My other G Posts
Gentle

C is for "Can You Eat Just One?"

So, I haven't talked much about my weight loss/get healthy journey lately, but I had decided to not knock myself out over the holiday season.  With Halloween candy, Thanksgiving dinner, and Christmas dinner and parties to look forward to, I knew I could get myself into quite a funk over all I was "giving up" to lose weight.  Instead I focused on maintaining my weight loss and finding more ways to keep fit.

I'm pleased to say, I did quite well and rarely felt like I was missing out on anything delicious.  However, I did find these tasty little morsels and decided to enjoy a few.  I did not read the bag before hand and promptly ate 7 (that's seven) teeny, tiny little chips.  Then I put them away, all satisfied with myself for not scarfing down the whole bag.  When I returned to the treats a day or two later, I knew I wanted to pay a bit more attention and was shocked *SHOCKED* I tell you to discover that THREE chips is a serving.  Seriously.  I took out my handy-dandy weight watchers scanner and found out a serving was seven Smart Points.   I totally felt cheated.  The seven chips I ate the other day were more than half of my daily allotment of Smart Points.

I ended up eating one chip each day until those puppies were gone, one 2-point chip.  So the answer to the ancient Lay's Potato Chip question, "Can you eat just one?" is yes.  Yes, I can.  Even if that chip is a tasty dark chocolate coated chip.

And seriously, Google images for Lay's "Betcha Can't Eat Just One" ad campaign from the '80s.

Well, do that *after* you go see what everyone else wrote for the letter C this week.

Other C is for... posts.
C is for Contentment.

MyFreezEasy A Homeschool Crew Review

This post contains affiliate links.

MyFreezEasy was developed by Erin Chase of $5 Dinners.  I've been following her off and on for several years.  Micah has wanted me to get involved in freezer cooking and meal planning for a long time.  I've tried a few times, but I am way too slow and busy to do one of those marathon cooking sessions that leaves you with a month of meals in the freezer, but takes all day long.  With MyFreezEasy.com Freezer Meal Plan Membership I can have ten meals in the freezer in a couple of hours. 

Premium membership allows access to all eight meal plans each month.  By making two full meals of each of the five recipes, I'm able to fill up my freezer in a very short time.  I can also swap out any meals from a growing database of archived meals.  Many of the recipes are or can be made dairy or gluten free.  In fact, one of the meal plans is all gluten free meals.  The eight plans available are

• traditional,
• gluten free,
• all pork,
• all chicken,
• all ground beef,
• clean eats,
• slow cooker, 
• and the 20 meals plan.

The 20 meals plan is just what you'd imagine.  You still make two of each meal, but it includes ten recipes.  The all meat plans are exactly that.  Purchase whichever meats are on sale and save money on your grocery budget.  I've shopped several times for meals since joining MyFreezEasy, and sometimes it feels like I've over spent.  I never exceeded my budget for the month and still have many, many more meals put away.  It definitely has brought value to my shopping.

After selecting my meals, or just downloading one of the plans with no alterations, I now have a document which includes complete recipes for preparing a meal for that night or for freezing all the meals, shopping lists arranged by store location (dairy, meat, produce, etc) or by recipe.  The list even includes the type of containers needed to store the meals in the freezer.  I also can quickly locate sheets that tell me what to set aside for each recipe on prep day.  On prep day, there is another sheet that tells me what to cook, chop, or open before meal assembly.  The last page(s) have each meal laid out with exactly what goes in the freezer bags or foil pans for each individual meal.

All of these instructions are for making two meals of four servings each.  Serving quantities can be adjusted before you download the paperwork.  I actually leave the servings at four, but divide the meals in half, or less often, thirds.  That way I still have the quantities on my shopping list for 8 servings, but I'm putting smaller amounts into each container and I end up with even more meals in the freezer.  Even with putting the equivalent of two servings in each bag or pan, we've found it is more than enough for the two of us for dinner and someone inevitably gets a lunch out of it.

The grocery list is very handy, as long as you don't print it and leave it on the table when you head to the store.  Not that I ever did that!

Some meals are as simple and fast as throwing a few things together; a can of this, a bag of frozen something, and jar of another thing, and throw some cheese on top.  Some recipes require more involved cooking.  All of them have been delicious.  If you have a little one who can use a can opener or shred cheese for you, MyFreezEasy is a great way to spend quality time in the kitchen as well as get some meals in the freezer.  I received compliments on every meal I've made, whether it was just Micah, family we've had over, or meals we've passed on to others.

Left: Enchiladas before cooking. Right: Black bean chili with corn muffins.

I made a few newbie errors the first time I used MyFreezEasy.  I ended up spending about two and a half hours on a plan I created.  I am meticulous anyway, so that makes me slow. Then I was intentionally using smaller pans for more, small meals. So rather than half in here and half in there, I was weighing every ingredient and pulling out the calculator. Also, because four of the meals were basically hamburger and onions, I cooked EIGHT pounds in a big pan. So then I had to figure the weight of the meat after cooking per recipe to divide into various sized containers. Some meals I made for a friend and some for us. Her meals were bigger than mine because she has a larger family. I was ridiculous about it.

I want to stick to a meal plan that Erin has created, following it exactly, and then the video will coincide with exactly what I'm cooking. I swear I have never used so much pseudo-algebra in my kitchen before!  The other times I've cooked using MyFreezEasy, I reeled myself in a bit and it was much smoother.  Definitely sticking with wholes or halves and not getting all worked up about being so precise!


Things I would like to see on MyFreezEasy:

1. Nutrition information.  This one could be trickier because everyone is going to actually put together some recipes a bit differently. 
2. Some "lighter" options, or at least mark any recipes that could be considered lighter.  I don't do "diet foods" because I prefer food that tastes good.  I rarely substitute light, low fat, or reduced calorie items.  So, I'd really appreciate knowing up front if a meal is a bit healthier than others. 

I did have two missing ingredients on one of the customized meal plans when I sorted the shopping list by store section.

The recipes I made included

• Chicken and Ranch Macaroni - I do not normally put a crumb topping on pasta.  I've just never really cared for it, but this dish was so good and the topping was really lovely.  I didn't actually have a packet of ranch dressing, so I used a bit of Buffalo Chicken and Bleu Cheese dip mix.
• Five Ingredient Chili - I never actually got to try this one because I passed it on to friends.
• Bacon and Bleu Cheeseburgers in lettuce wraps - These were amazing in a lettuce wrap or hamburger buns.  The recipe called for serving the burgers with bleu cheese crumbles, but I realized I would need to buy a container of the crumbles each time I served them... and I *may* have made 14 - 1/4 pound burgers!  So I actually put the bleu cheese inside the hamburgers as I made them.  I just formed them like a bowl and wrapped them around the cheese.  Now I only need to make sure I have rolls or lettuce when I want to serve them and I don't have crumbles going to waste in the back of the fridge.
• Lazy Lasagna Bake - While this could use a bit more sauce, it wasn't dry.  The flavor was so good!  I had never used cottage cheese in lasagna, so I used half cottage cheese and half ricotta.
• Beef and Black Bean Chili - I added a cup of water because my slow cooker gets pretty hot.
• Ravioli Bake - Another hit, and the kids even tried this one.  WIN!
• Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas - This meal was absolutely gorgeous in the bowl and I couldn't resist taking a photo of it which disappeared along with Xavier's first day on the bus photos, somewhere in cyberland.  Just imagine a big white bowl full of black beans, corn, red peppers, green chiles...  It was *very* tasty.

As I made up my list, I kept wanting to write, "This was a favorite," but I would have typed that almost every single time.  I love trying new recipes, but I'm always leery of duds.  This recipes are tested by Erin in her own home and if they aren't great, they don't make it onto MyFreezEasy.

I loved

• Being able to adjust servings for a recipe. 
• Having a downloadable/printable grocery list.
• Seeing videos that walk me through meal prep for the Traditional Meal Plan each month.
• Chatting with other meal prep women in the Facebook group.
• Being able to pull a meal out of the freezer or throw an extra together to bless a friend.
• Removing the freezer fillers (old milk jugs filled with ice) one by one as the space was filled with food.

I got so excited each time I pulled out a jug of ice to make room for ready-made meals.

There's a video near the bottom of the FAQ Page you might like to see.

I hope you know by now that if I rave about something, it's because I *really* like it.  And. yes.  I'm definitely enjoying the satisfaction of having meals put away for us.  I enjoy cooking, but making the same stuff all the time had gotten old.  (I still prepare all the kids' favorites, regularly), but Micah and I get to enjoy something new with a lot of variety.  I can see this becoming a long term way of cooking regularly.  MyFreezEasy has been convenient (now that I have my "meticulous gene" under control!) and a money saver.

There are both monthly and annual memberships.  Make a selection and get started putting up food for those busy days where everyone has appointments and you won't be home to prepare dinner.  You'll save money by not getting take out.  Again.  And the meals are healthier.  You know exactly what's in them because you made them.  Spend the time in the kitchen making memories with your helpers.

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Recipe - Green Beans

I'd never heard of southern green beans, but I was surfing the web for a yummy green bean recipe when I came across this one on allrecipes.com.  Southern green beans also, apparently, are made with potatoes and BACON.  I can handle that!

Since the full, actual recipe is at the link above, I won't put it here.  I can tell you that I cooked the beans a bit longer.  Micah doesn't like them too crisp.  Also, I like very crisp bacon.  I didn't add it back in while things were cooking because I didn't want it to get soggy.  I cooked most everything else just like the recipe suggested and then added the bacon back in at the last minute.  I'm a little leery of vinegar for some reason.  I was never one to eat it on fries or potato chips.  However, it really gives this dish a nice flavor.

Southern Green Beans is a keeper, for sure.

Farmer's Market Challenge

I've been regularly spending Saturday mornings at a town about half an hour away.  (I'll tell you more about that in another post.)  One morning, I noticed a farmer's market going up in the park and decided to take a stroll through it.  I saw a *lot* of crafts, some of which were interesting, but I also felt like they were out of place at, you know, a Farmer's market.  It is Vermont, after all.  Just how much marketing can farmers do in May/June?

The park is gorgeous this time of year.  Master Gardeners tend the plants in the flower beds near the fountain and on the back side of the park.  I've had the pleasure of chatting with two of them.  Xavier was even given a watering lesson by one woman and allowed to water the circular garden in the center of the park.

Anyway, I've quickly discovered a few favorite vendors and I visit them each week.  There is a man selling phenomenal sourdough bread.  He offers plain and "seeded" varieties.  I usually get one or two small loaves from him.  Xavier prefers plain, but the seeded bread has a "nutty" flavor that I really love.

Another one we are especially enjoying is a woman with a variety of Greek foods.  I get something new from her every week for Micah and I to share for our lunch.  I'm planning to keep that going as long as there is something new for us to try, then we'll have seconds of our favorites.  We've had moussaka and spanakopita, as well as two mystery foods I didn't quite catch the name of.  If you recognize the food on the right, please let me know!  Apparently, I also didn't take a picture of the triangles we had on week three.  Darn.  Guess I'll just have to get them again.

A woman there sells pastries of deliciousness.  They are downright decadent, so I've only purchased a small chocolate croissant from her twice.  I used to love chocolate croissants when I was in NY.  There was a divinely inspired bakery not far from my office, so it was always fun to get them there fresh.  Occasionally, I see them in the grocery store bakery here, but they just aren't the same.

I also picked up a jar of blueberry hot pepper jelly.  I'm not a big fan of really spicy food, but this was just a bit of fire in the sweetness of blueberry.  I really liked it.

What's going on in your neck of the woods?  Do you attend a Farmer's Market where you live?  Tell me some of your favorite purchases.  Try something new!  I challenge you to get something you've never had before, every single week.

It's the Little Things ~ Mal Makes Pizza

Today, Mal said, "I'm going to make my own pizza.  Big kids don't ask grown ups to make their pizza."  He has done parts of the prep of a frozen pizza before, but today he felt ready to do the whole thing.  I was nearby and coached him through setting the timer and cutting the pizza.  He preheated the oven, opened the pizza, placed it in the oven, and removed it on his own.

He did a great job and was, more importantly, so proud of himself. He did burn a finger and his forearm, but he reacted quickly and it's barely red.

Recipe - Pieless Apples

I was tinkering in the kitchen the other day, when I decided to cook up some apple pie filling.  I wasn't trying to quite make the syrupy, drippy, thick, yummy kind.  Though that is tempting now that I think about it.  I decided to use a granny smith.  I cored it and sliced it into 16 pieces.  I didn't bother to peel it.  I melted a tsp of butter in a small pan and let the apples cook a few minutes.  Then I mixed about 1 tsp of granulated sugar, a tsp of cinnamon, and a 1/4 tsp of nutmeg.  I stirred that in the pan and let it bubble away while the apples continued cooking.  I added a little water (a couple TBSP) as needed just to keep things from burning and speed up the apples.

Verdict
It tasted pretty good, but I determined it would need a bit more sugar.  I intended to use two tsp of sugar next time.  What I actually ended up doing was using a sweeter apple and brown sugar.  Use the basic instructions above with the following ingredients and let the apple get pretty cooked.

1 tsp butter
1 apple (pink lady or other somewhat firm sweet variety)
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
water as needed

Serves two.  Seriously.  It does.  Xav ate half of one, so it had to serve two.

This would be so good with granola, oats, or ice cream.

Taters

I made some potatoes that are a combination of loaded baked potatoes and twice baked potatoes.  I'd like to make them again and thought maybe others would like them, too.  What better place to put them for quick reference than here?

Preheat oven to 350* (unless you are baking the potatoes in the oven already).

2 large russet potatoes
2 cloves of garlic (this might be a little much for some)
2-4 oz of cheddar, shredded
3 strips of cooked bacon (plus more for nibbling)
some rough chopped broccoli, steamed
about 3 Tbsp butter
about 1/4 c milk, half and half, or cream
salt and pepper to taste
(Aaaaaaaand I forgot the scallions!)

I "baked" the potatoes in the microwave, ahem.  Don't forget to poke some holes in them.  You don't want to have an Almonzo Wilder moment*.  Cut them in half the long way.  Scoop most of the inner potato into a bowl.  I used my Pampered Chef garlic press to add the garlic.  Crumble the bacon, eat some.  Crumble more bacon.  Mix in the steamed broccoli, butter, milk, salt, and pepper into the other ingredients.  Divide the filling between the four potato halves.  Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and put in the oven until heated through, about 15 minutes.

*In Farmer Boy, a hot potato blows up in Almonzo's face!

Watermelon Lemonade

Lop the top off of a watermelon.
Scoop out guts and freeze.

Dissolve 1 cup sugar in 1 cup hot water.
1 cup lemon juice (this took about 8 small lemons).
Juice one lime.

Mal and Xav liked this part.  I nuked the fruit for 20 seconds or so, left it for a minute, and then they rolled them and mushed them a bit on the table.

Puree frozen watermelon in food processor to make about 3 cups. 
Puree some more to eat.

Seven more cups of water and ice.

Throw in slices of another lemon and watermelon chunks.

Hide it from the children because those punks will suck it down so fast that those with a more discerning palate will miss out.  People will cry.  I'm not kidding.

Mac and Cheese with or without a Southwestern Twist

The original recipe from Hillshire Farm:

Ingredients

• 4 Hillshire Farm® Turkey Pepper Jack Links
• 1 pkg. (7.25 ounces) macaroni and cheese mix
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• ½ cup prepared salsa
• 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• 1 cup corn chips, crushed (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut links into 1-inch pieces; set aside. Cook macaroni in a large pan of boiling water for 7 minutes or until tender; drain well. 2. In medium bowl combine cooked macaroni, contents of cheese sauce packet, milk and butter. Stir until butter is melted. Stir in salsa, corn, links and ½ cup of the cheese. 3. Place mixture in a greased 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining Monterey Jack cheese combined with corn chips, if desired. Bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes or until hot.

This is how I changed it.
We buy a variety of Hillshire smoked sausage pretty regularly, so I just sliced up half of whatever I had on hand.  Rather than a boxed mac and cheese, I just cooked half a pound of rotini (or spiral, or whatever you call it in your area!).  I used a can of Mexican corn instead of frozen corn.  Lastly, I added more cheeses since I didn't make boxed macaroni.  It turned out pretty good, actually.

Now, recipe reviews where people say, "This recipe is amazing.  Here is how I replaced or omitted every single ingredient..." drive me up a tree.  That's why I'm not rating or reviewing the Hillshire recipe.  I'm posting for two reason.  1) I can find it again.  2) To encourage you to try a new recipe even if you don't have what seems like required ingredients.

Chocolate Cookie Train

This is not a review of this Chocolate Cookie Train Kit, per se, just a bit about our cookie decorating night which included said train.

We had talked to Beepa of the Forest (my mother-in-law) about her redneck gingerbread house when they visited last week.

So on a trip to Walmart, I saw the cookie train and knew my guys would love that.  I also knew Malachi would no-way-no-how-not-in-a-million-years eat those chocolate cookies.  I made a batch of sugar cookie trains for him, as well as some bells, stars, and trees.

Now, this is not my first cookie decorating rodeo with these guys.  I expected frustration, messiness, and grabbiness.  I was not disappointed.  They all came to the party.  *This time,* I was mentally prepared and I really didn't care.  I wasn't prepared for this whole fiasco, though.  I couldn't find food coloring or my sprinkles.  So, the white frosting I made remained white.  The cookie train came with frosting, too.  It was green.  And white...  Gumdrops, candy beads, and fondant were also included.  I scrounged up purple sugar and white decorating sugar and rainbow jimmies.

Also, it turns out, the train is supposed to be glued together the day before you decorate it. HA!  This thing wasn't actually going to sit around uneaten for days!  So, I finally had everything together and the boys started frosting train parts and eating the cookies I had baked.  I gave Merrick a bowl of frosting with a knife, Xav had the white frosting bag and Mal had the green frosting in a bag.  Merrick's frosting (which I had made) didn't stick to the cookie when he tried to spread it on. Xav blew out the decorator tip within seconds of starting, so he was squeezing giant blobs of frosting everywhere.  Mal did really well making nice lines of frosting and putting all the candy balls on his train.  ALL The Candy Balls.  Sigh...  By the time I sat down to decorate some cookies so Daddy would actually have a few frosted cookies, the candy balls and gumdrops were gone.  I may have stolen a few candy beads from Malachi's engine, since we weren't going to eat it anyway.

The boys were curious about the use of the "brick" cookies, as Merrick called them.  I showed them how we could have used them to hold the trains upright.  "Why would you do that?" they asked.  "Well," I said, "people put them together, decorate them, and leave them out to look at."  They were shocked.  Who doesn't eat cookies?

I got it into my head to try a chocolate cookie.  Good grief!  What was I thinking?!  Horrible!  Terrible!  F!  I realize that many people who buy a cookie kit, will display and never eat the cookie train, but seriously!  I can't possibly be the only mom with kids who would rather eat it.

Next time, we'll just do our usual bake, frost, decorate, and eat cookies.  Everyone will be so much happier.  I'll definitely look for more fun candy toppings than just sugar and sprinkles, though.

PS.  The train kit also included detailed instructions and a Wilton Cake Decorating class on Craftsy.

Week in Review 8/24 and 8/31/14

    In our co-op this week...
Our first unofficial Friday School field trip was the fair.  I survived about 5,000 rides on everything from the lazy little train on a flat oval track to the wicked fast arctic blast.  I spent the last third of that ride thinking Xav was going to barf on me and struggling desperately to keep us both in the car!  Thankfully, Xav said he'd never ride that again. We ogled giant pieces of lawn equipment and dreamed a memory of the days when our riding mower worked and Micah didn't have to spend three evenings each week mowing.  Every year we get nagged to go look at all of the campers and RVs.  Saw a wild animal show, played on the playground display conveniently located right next to the first aid trailer, and enjoyed tasty fair fare.

Micah fell asleep in his recliner and the boys had a healthy snack and we all went right to bed. Ten hours at the fair. Zzzzzzzzzzz

I wrote about the first official field trip to The Great Vermont Corn Maze. 

    Merrick...
Nothing like waking up to Merrick singing. Little Einstein's Purple Plane and NSB's vacation Bible school song, a perfect combination.

Before you think that's just too cute, he also had a vicious, screaming tantrum that ended up with him in the tub with his clothes on.   He refused to get undressed, thinking that would show me, so I showed him I didn't mind if he bathed in clothes, diaper and all.  It was bad.  Very, very bad.  And loud.  I'll spare you the video.

    Xavier...
Xav ran an official trail run with his dad.  It was a mile and a half.  He did great.  Dad told him no matter how tired you are, finish strong.

The only entertainment for non-runners.  One giant rock.

     Malachi...
Mal worked hard for two nights to go "right to sleep" in hopes that Daddy will let him rebuild the droid transport. He "cleaned" the living room and his bedroom, gave me nothing but a sunny attitude during school and mentioned several times that he hoped these activities would show dad that he was ready to take responsibility for such a special Lego set. He was allowed to build it.  

    What we're reading... 
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Preschoolers and Peace  

    Around the house... 
I tried to do a lot of mending one day while Micah was out with the boys.  Every now and then, I have a tension or threading issue.  I ended up with a huge nasty mess on about the third project.  I said a lot of strong words to the machine.

    In the yard...
The treehouse has a door.  And a tenant.  Micah has taken a chair up to read on the deck.  I noticed the early maple already turned.

We also had the hottest night of the year in September.  It was 80* in the middle of the night.  Terrible.

    Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
Mal and Xav got real official haircuts this week.  It was Mal's first ever.  He was uncertain at first, but he even let her use clippers.  It all came out OK in the end.  Xav chewed the hairdresser's ear off.  I love all the faces he makes.  He is so expressive.

    Things Dad is working on...
The pumpkin flavored everything insanity has begun.  He started with Green Mountain Pumpkin Spice Coffee.  No one knows where it will all end. 

He took the boys out for a few hours to shop for my birthday, but actually because I just wanted to have some quiet time in my own house to do some sewing and other chores best done when the house is empty.  I heard what Xav thinks of me.
Micah: "Boys, what do you think Mommy likes?"
Xav: "Well, she always goes on about the fabric store." 

    I’m cooking…
No Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies - good flavor, a little sticky.
I also made tomato sauce in the crockpot.  It was incredible.  I thought of it as "rustic."  It made a nice pizza that the kids wouldn't eat.  Micah and I didn't mind having it to ourselves.

And a soft, iced pumpkin cookie.  Kind of nice.  It reminded me of the soft sugar cookies at the grocery store that are a ridiculous $4/dozen.

    This week's reviews...
The Schoolhouse Review Crew's UberSmart Math Facts (including mine)
The Schoolhouse Review Crew's Essential Skills Advantage (including mine)
The Schoolhouse Review Crew's Under Drake's Flag (including mine)

Unicorn Pooooo... Uh, Rainbow Cookies

First, I searched high and low for a good unicorn poop tutorial.  Most had their own cookie recipes or suggested using a package of sugar cookie mix.  I prefer to make my own favorite sugar cookies.  I meant to keep a small ball to make plain cookies for Mal and I forgot!  Unfrosted, homemade sugar cookies are all he will eat.

So, I made a batch of cookies, divided the dough into several bowls, colored them with gel frosting coloring, and chilled.

I took small pieces of each color and rolled them together like play dough snakes.  I even rolled them through some silver food glitter I found.  Then I twirled them up into a spiral cookie, sprinkled with rainbow dots, and baked.

I made a couple dozen cookies like that, then I rolled and cut the dough into trains, hoping Mal would be willing to eat the colored dough if it looked like trains.  He wasn't.  The cookies were delicious and this is the story I gave when I delivered them.

I tried to catch a unicorn for your birthday because fantastic friends deserve fabulous gifts. However, I discovered it is very difficult to capture a unicorn. (Do you have any idea how hard it is to locate enough 24k gold rope to snare a unicorn? Not easy.  Also very expensive.) BUT, the unicorn did leave behind evidence of its presence. I quickly bagged up the unicorn poop and brought it to you. Happy birthday, Trisha!

If you usually need to roll your cookies in flour before cutting out, I recommend adding a little extra flour when you mix the dough.  You won't want to add much to the dough once the color has been added and it has been chilled.  Also, they are just a little more work intensive than normal between adding gel and rolling the cookies.

The funniest part about these cookies is how completely grossed out the boys were by the thought of unicorn poop.  They got so irritated and kept calling them unicorn cookies.  It was fantastic.